Congressman wants stricter rules for prepaid handset sales

The use of mobile phones in express kidnappings in Argentina has prompted one legislator to submit a bill requiring operators to collect personal information on the buyers of prepaid handsets, the online version of Buenos Aires Economico reported. Under the terms of the bill the country's five operators - Personal, Movicom, CTI, Unifon, and Nextel - would have to verify the personal data of their clients as well as cooperate with authorities in wire taps and foot the bill for the new measures. Argentina's economic crisis in the last four years has caused an upsurge in kidnapping for ransom by criminals who use cell phones to coordinate their operations. According to the paper, 35% of the country's 6.2 million mobiles are owned by unregistered individuals. The justice ministry has already expressed its doubts about the practicallity of the bill in the event it becomes law, especially in how to collect personal data on people who have already purchased a handset. Nieghboring Brazil toyed with the idea of implementing a ban on the sale of prepaid handsets in early 2002 following the high profile murder of a city mayor, but instead decided to require operators to collect personal data on buyers.